Male and Female Gamers: How Their Similarities and Differences Shape the Games Market

Using fresh insights from our latest round of primary consumer research across 13 countries, we explored the topic of gender similarities and differences in gaming. These Gamer Consumer Insights, to which our clients received access last week, are based on an online audience aged 10-65.

It’s important for games businesses to understand how men and women interact differently with the gaming world. Male and female gamers differ in the platforms and genres they prefer, how they discover games, and whether they spend. However, there is also evidence of several similarities in their gaming behavior. In particular, zooming in on the ‘core gamer’ suggests that the differences between male and female gamers should be appreciated but not exaggerated.

Platforms and Discovery

Looking at the gender and age divide of all gamers, we see that 46% of gamers across these 13 countries are women. While men make up the majority of gamers, with men aged 21-35 comprising 20%, the gap between the two genders in the overall games market is narrow. However, different platforms have varying levels of popularity among the genders. Mobile games are almost equally popular among men and women, with 52% and 48% playing mobile games more than once a month, respectively. In contrast, 48% and 37% of men play on PC and console at least once a month, respectively, compared to 35% and 23% of women.

Notably, the order of platform popularity is mobile, followed by PC and console, irrespective of gender. This shows that platform popularity tapers closely to the overall shape and size of the gaming market.

A similar conclusion can be drawn when we examine how gamers discover new games. On the surface, there are clear differences in the way men and women discover games. For female gamers, social circles are key, with 39% of them discovering a game through friends or family, and 20% through social networks. For men, a comparatively low 27% discover games through friends or family. Instead, 26% of men discover new titles through review or game sites and 24% through online video channels.

Again, a deeper look at the figures suggests that the difference between genders should not be exaggerated. For example, age plays a factor in determining the preferred discovery route. Gamers under or over the age of 35 both list friends and family as the top discovery route, but only 12% of gamers older than 35 discover new titles through videos, compared to 25% of gamers younger than 35.

Platform type also affects the discovery method. Mobile-specific factors (such as app store ranking) index more highly for women than methods typically used for PC or console game discovery (such as a magazine). This indicates that choice of platform shapes the route by which a player finds a game, rather than gender alone.

Gaming genres: female all-rounders versus male specialists

When we examine the types of games that men and women prefer to play, we again see a blend of similarities and differences in gaming habits. Generally, both groups favor similar types of games. Men and women both list strategy games as one of their top three genres on PC, console, and mobile. Additionally, the favored franchise on each platform is the same: Candy Crush Saga on mobile, Call of Duty on console, and World of Warcraft on PC.

Delving deeper into their preferences reveals a few areas where male and female gamers differ. Across all platforms, men favor the strategy, sports, action adventure, and shooter categories. In comparison, women enjoy a broader genre of games, including puzzle, simulation, and arcade.

The divergence in favored genres is most notable on mobile, with 48% of women listing puzzle as their top pick. This was the highest rating for any genre by either gender across all platforms, indicating the appeal of puzzle games to mobile players.

Core gamers: women play, men pay

Finally, of gamers who consider themselves to be core, 70% are men. Core gamers are defined as those who agree that gaming is an important part of their life, that spend a significant amount of their free time gaming, and enjoy playing against or with others.

While there are more male than female core gamers, their behavior is remarkably similar. When examining the share of core gamers that plays a game on a platform more than five days a week, marginally more women than men fit that definition on mobile. At most, men had a five percentage point lead over women on console and PC.

The divergence between male and female core players can be seen in spending habits. Across all segments, men are much more likely to spend than women. The difference is most apparent for PC gaming, with 57% of core male gamers paying versus 39% of women.

Looking at ownership of peripherals among core gamers, men are more likely to own a specialist gaming mouse, keyboard, headset, and controller than women. However, these differences are minimal, with 72% of men owning a headset versus 62% of women, for example.

Still, it is uncertain as to what extent this difference is caused by gender or by broader market trends. A quick examination of discovery methods shows that men are more likely to be influenced to play a game by a TV or online advert. This could indicate greater engagement with marketing campaigns or that campaigns are geared toward men, potentially missing an opportunity to reach women.

Furthermore, female core gamers demonstrate habits that need to be taken seriously by marketers. Perhaps surprisingly, 9% of female core gamers who watch esports do so for more than 15 hours per week, versus 6% of men. This indicates that the group has potentially significant value to marketers and advertisers as the sector grows.

Summary

While games businesses need to consider differences between gender behavior, they should be careful not to overblow them. Businesses should take other factors into account, such as gamer self-identification, favored platforms, and demographic information, to create the experiences that resonate with as much of their audience as possible.

The top games in the market are already thoughtfully building audiences. Successful multiplayer games like Overwatch have thrived across the gender divide through a mix of FPS gameplay, social discovery mechanics, and representative roster. Meanwhile, Naughty Dog’s single-player adventure game Uncharted 4 and its forthcoming DLC The Lost Legacy have similarly crossed over by building a compelling narrative framed within the popular action and adventure genre.

In short, developers and marketers working on games, including core titles, should be actively engaging female gamers. As the games market matures, the gender divide is closing. This presents an opportunity that businesses should be actively pursuing.

NEWZOO CONSUMER INSIGHTS: PROFILING YOUR KEY TARGET GROUPS

Since last week, Newzoo Consumer Insights subscribers have been enjoying access to fresh data and insights from our latest round of consumer research. This research effort covered close to 35,000 selected respondents across 16 countries from three different regions:

This primary research provides in-depth and invaluable consumer insights into more than 200 variables across games, esports, and mobile, and is used by a large share of the biggest games, media, and hardware companies in the world.

Newzoo’s Consumer Insights across the 16 countries are now accessible through the recently launched Consumer Data Dashboard and allow our clients to profile consumers, size markets, and support strategic business plans. The interactive dashboard allows unlimited analysis on more than 200 topics. Subscribers create their own segments and export graphs and datasets directly. Support from a dedicated Newzoo analyst is also included in every subscription.

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